How experiencing awe in nature can promote altruistic behavior

Apr

28

2017

April 2017

Stand small in a redwood forest and feel awed by the enormity of the trees around and above you. Such a feeling -- awe in nature -- can promote altruistic, pro-social behavior, according to research byPaul Piff, an assistant professor of psychology and social behavior.

Piff's research was recently cited in Psychology Today. Such an experience in nature, the article says, "puts our individual lives in perspective by helping people realize that there is something much bigger than yourself in the universe."